Title of Opportunity:
Consultancy Services for Social Media Listening (SML) Activities and Reporting
Location:
Remote or On-Site (Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, or Uzbekistan)
Type of Recruitment:
International (Companies, Firms, or Organizations)
Duration:
2 years (Ideal start date: July 15, 2024)
Description of Services Required:
Search for Common Ground (Search) is looking for a company, organization, or a team of consultants that will provide consultancy services to lead the Social Media Listening (SML) activities and reporting for our project in South and Central Asia, particularly in Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, or Uzbekistan, which looks at issues related to technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV).
The consultants are expected to develop the context-tailored data dashboards for the SML process, gather data and information from social media sources, and generate comprehensive and quality SML reports with data visuals that capture online trends, manifestations, evidence, and analysis regarding TFGBV issues in these three countries. The SML reports should be able to contribute to the ongoing context and gender analyses of the project and to generate evidence and data that are informed by the current TFGBV contexts in order to support the implementation of our project activities and to maximize our results. The key research questions, scope, online channels, problem statements, and other key information that will define and establish the SML data dashboards will be informed by the results and findings from our upcoming landscape and gaps analysis research. The SML activities should also be able to gather information from the media sources in different languages, i.e. English, Russian, Urdu, Krygyz and Uzbek. The consultant will also train the members of our SML core group from our project team, partners, and participants on SML methodology so that they could also support the SML activities and report so as to increase their confidence in positive online and social media engagement.
The key specific outputs expected from the consultancy services during the contract period are 9 SML reports (3 reports per country) developed through the context-tailored data dashboards and debrief sessions outlining main insights, findings, and recommendations related to TFGBV issues that will inform our programming options and adaptations. Also, a core SML group of 15 members (5 members per country) must be trained on SML methodology and involved in the SML activities.
Search for Common Ground
Search is an international peacebuilding NGO that aims to transform the way individuals, groups, governments and companies address conflict towards collaborative solutions. Headquartered in Washington DC, USA, and Brussels, Belgium, with 52 field offices in 29 countries, Search designs and implements multifaceted, culturally-appropriate and conflict-sensitive programs using a diverse range of tools to promote dialogue, increase knowledge and determine a positive shift in behaviors.
Project Information:
Technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) is an act of violence committed, assisted, aggravated, and amplified in part or fully by using information and communication technologies or digital media that is disproportionately targeted at women and girls. It is a continuum of multiple, recurring, and interrelated forms of gender-based violence that takes place both online and offline.
Search aims to improve safe and inclusive digital use and elevate awareness, response, and campaign to prevent TFGBV in Central and South Asia, particularly in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan.
Search, in consortium with local partners in three countries in Central and South Asia, implements a 36-month project with the overall goal of advancing women-led and multisectoral prevention, protection, and response to technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) to foster safe, meaningful online engagement and participation of diverse women and girls in Central and South Asia. The project has three specific objectives as follows:
Objective 1: Increase TFGBV-related capacities and networks among civil society and digital community stewards to make online spaces safer.Objective 2: Strengthen civil society and digital community steward-led TFGBV identification, prevention, mitigation, and response.Objective 3: Amplify multi-sectoral engagement and collaborative outreach to address TFGBV.Social Media Listening Tools:
Search defines digital peacebuilding as the ability to understand and respond to digital drivers of conflict, and the use of technology to contribute to peacebuilding. Search’s ability to understand the digital landscape as part of its ongoing conflict analysis depends on our ability to harness the appropriate social media listening tools. Search understands the potential to use social media listening tools for peacebuilding to be multi-faceted. This includes:
Conflict and context analysis. This entails monitoring of conflict drivers, specific positive or negative narratives, generating dashboards and data visualizations to provide trends and insights in real time. This could also include periodic assessments and analysis of the data to offer ‘conflict snapshots’ or summaries.Research on specific online conversations, insights and trends, about a specific issue or set of issues. This entails targeted research on online perceptions of an issue, tracking of hate speech, and/or the juxtaposition of online trends with offline events. This research could be used to inform offline or traditional media initiatives to tackle the conflict drivers. For example, this may include research which seeks to understand which groups or individuals are promoting specific narratives in support of violent extremism, and which audiences are most consuming such narratives. Narrative analysis. This entails the use of social media listening with a semi-automated dataset that generates data for narrative analysis. This may involve juxtaposing social media monitoring with specific narrative analysis in order to monitor conflict drivers and inform peacebuilding initiatives.Identification and monitoring of specific sources, influencers and channels. This entails the mapping and subsequent tracking and analysis of specific sources, influencers or channels who are deemed relevant for a particular audience or geography. This may include an understanding of how the social media space is polarized, and where potential connectors could be amplified.Media and campaign monitoring. This entails the use of social media listening in order to monitor the reach and engagement of specific media products, such as campaigns or outreach by media, non-governmental organizations or online influencers. Budget
The total budget for these consultancy services should not exceed USD 50,000 and the budget proposal will be assessed according to their cost-effectiveness. The proposal with better technical proposal and efficient budget will be considered as priority during selection. This budget should include all planned costs for the SML services as no additional costs will be borne by Search for Common Ground and its partners.
Requirements
The following skills and experience are expected by Search for our consultants for this project:
Proficiency in English and any or all of the following languages (Russian, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, or Urdu) (written and spoken) among the team members;More than 5 years of experience in social media listening, and project qualitative and quantitative research, including data collection; Experience in conflict and gender analysis, and working with civil society sectors, human rights organizations, governments and tech companies;Experience in gender-based violence, gender equality studies, conflict transformation, and peacebuilding;Experience working with international organizations;Familiarity and experience with contextual challenges in the geographic location(s) where the study will take place;Capacity to launch research and mobilize research teams in three countries simultaneously.Knowledge of thematic context in the project's endeavors is an advantage. In addition, the consultant is required to respect the following Ethical Principles:Comprehensive and systematic inquiry: Consultant should make the most of the existing information and full range of stakeholders available at the time of the review. Consultant should conduct systematic, data-based inquiries. He or she should communicate his or her methods and approaches accurately and in sufficient detail to allow others to understand, interpret and critique his or her work. He or she should make clear the limitations of the review and its results.Competence: Consultant should possess the abilities and skills and experience appropriate to undertake the tasks proposed and should practice within the limits of his or her professional training and competence.Honesty and integrity: Consultant should be transparent with the contractor/constituent about: any conflict of interest, any change made in the negotiated project plan and the reasons why those changes were made, any risk that certain procedures or activities produce misleading review information.Respect for people: Consultant respect the security, dignity and self-worth of respondents, program participants. Consultant has the responsibility to be sensitive to and respect differences amongst participants in culture, religion, gender, disability, age and ethnicity.Selection CriteriaConsultant proposals will be selected for interview based on:Clarity and effectiveness of the proposed SML methodologies (50%)Quality of the SML report samples and its relevance to the assignment in concern (10%)Performance in the interview: Presentation of ideas, ability to clarify questions raised from the proposal, explanation of the methodologies and of explanation quality assurance approach (10%).Proactive engagement of the team members during discussion (5%)Commitment to flexibility and timely completion of assignment, Timeline for proposed activities (5%)Budget proposed in the financial proposal: Justification of the rates in relation to proposed methodology, deliverables and team and balance between HR budget and other related costs (20%)Selection Criteria
Consultant proposals will be selected for interview based on:
Clarity and effectiveness of the proposed SML methodologies (50%)Quality of the SML report samples and its relevance to the assignment in concern (10%)Performance in the interview: Presentation of ideas, ability to clarify questions raised from the proposal, explanation of the methodologies and of explanation quality assurance approach (10%).Proactive engagement of the team members during discussion (5%)Commitment to flexibility and timely completion of assignment, Timeline for proposed activities (5%)Budget proposed in the financial proposal: Justification of the rates in relation to proposed methodology, deliverables and team and balance between HR budget and other related costs (20%)Applications
Selected candidates (individuals or teams) are requested to submit the following:
A technical proposal proposing a methodology for the social media listening;A financial proposal for the completion of the SML deliverables; 1-3 samples of SML reports produced through data dashboards; and A short cover letter explaining overall qualifications, capacity, and plans.Note: Only the documents above can be submitted, so the technical and financial proposals must be combined, along with the short cover letter. All documents should be merged and uploaded as a single document.
Contracting process is subject to our Protection standards including background checks and adherence to our protection policies and Code of Conduct. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. All information shared by the applicants remains confidential.
Submission of application documents is due on or before 5 July 2024. Search will select the best proposal out of all submitted proposals by shortlisted candidates.
